Todd McCann ponders whether a man should be defined by his job or by his passions.

No, seriously. That’s a real question. Does just driving a truck make you a trucker? Or is there something more to it? Sorry, I realize I didn’t put a quiz on your syllabus, but hey, that’s the nature of the dreaded pop quiz. Deal with it. And don’t you dare stick that gum to the underside of your desk.

Here’s the reason I ask. I don’t really consider myself a trucker. Neither does The Evil Overlord. It’s not a conscious decision that we made. It’s just been that way ever since we started driving in the summer of ’97.

Every time someone asked us what we did for a living, we’d say something like, “We drive a truck for a living.” We’ve even told people “We’re truck drivers.” But I can’t ever recall us saying, “We’re truckers.” I’m guessing I’ve probably said it before without thinking, but if so it’s rarer than road kill tartare. So why is that?

Well I don’t know about you, but I guess I have a stereotype trucker in my mind. I think of a trucker as someone who looks, acts, and talks the part. They buy miniature truck collectibles. They know all the NASCAR drivers. They never drive without their CB turned on. But for the most part, I’m talking about drivers who talk about trucking all the time.

I’ve got some family friends who have truckers in the family. Every time we get together, they talk about trucking. A lot. I always find myself heading to the ladies table before too long. Go ahead, make your jokes about my manliness, or lack thereof. I can handle it. And I’ve got my mascara handy for when I start to cry.

Hey, I drive a truck 11 hours a day for 3-4 weeks at a time. The last thing I want to do is talk about trucking. When The Evil Overlord was my co-driver, we never talked about trucking unless it had something to do with our current load. Now that she’s off the road, we still don’t have long talks about trucking. It rarely comes up. That’s just the way we are.

I know I’m not the only one. Take my friend Alan, who I met on Twitter. Twice now we’ve shared a meal when I was in the Denver area. Sure, we talked about trucking matters a little bit. We have that in common. But you’d think two guys who met on Twitter because they both drove a truck would talk about trucking… but no. We’ve talked about our pets, our friends, relationships, politics, religion, and the cesspool this world is becoming. Now I’ve never asked Alan if he considers himself a trucker, but I’ll bet he doesn’t. Maybe I’m wrong. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

I guess I’ve always considered myself to be a truck driver, not a trucker. Maybe that’s just a matter of tomayto-tomahto. Is it? Once again, I really don’t know. Am I a trucker because I’ve driven a truck for 14 years? What’s the time limit? I know many hard-core truckers don’t consider rookie drivers as truckers. Heck, many times they don’t even consider them truck drivers. They call them “steering wheel holders.” Other super-truckers don’t consider you a truck driver if you drive a truck with an automatic transmission.

Maybe I’m just being retarded. Once again, that wouldn’t be the first time I’ve ever been accused of that. The Evil Overlord is full of loving comments like that. Does it even matter what I call myself? I think it does.

I’m not a trucker. I drive a truck for a living. I do my job each day and then I pursue other interests. I’m doing fun stuff on my Mac or playing a game on my iPhone. Even when I’m sitting in the cab of my truck or sitting in a Wendy’s writing a blog post, I’m not really thinking about trucking. Heck, you folks have read my blog posts. It’s not like a spend a lot of time researching and pondering these topics. An idea just pops in my head when I’m driving, I take note of it, and then I sit down one day and write a rambling string of 1600 opinionated words. Sorry about that.

I think perhaps the biggest difference between truckers and truck drivers may be how they look at the job. Listen, I know this is going to sound bad, but that’s never stopped me from saying stupid crap before. So here goes. Send your hate mail to… ah screw it. Send it to Alan. I don’t want it. LOL

I drive a truck. I know how important the job is. I know the skill that’s involved. I know how hard it is to be away from your family for weeks at a time. I know that I should have more pride in my job than I do. But I don’t. I’m ashamed to say that when someone asks me what I do for a living, I don’t say, “I drive a truck” with my chest stuck out. I say it expecting them to think less of me. Heck, I usually say, “I drive a truck for a living” and then with a whisper and a smile I say, “But don’t tell anyone.” Even when they act interested, I can’t help but imagine they’re thinking, “This guy must be an uneducated loser.”

I guess that’s just the way I feel about it. Is it wrong that I don’t feel pride in doing a job that I know deserves it? What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this topic. And let me know, are you a trucker or a truck driver. Or is there a difference?

About Todd Mc Cann

Todd McCann has been trucking since 1997, alongside his wife, co-driver, and antagonist, Lorinda (affectionately named The Evil Overlord). You can read more of their adventures at his blog, About Trucking Jobs.

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interesting article. i thought that the public had a romantic view of lorry drivers – the solo wanderer.
do petrol (gas) tanker and other dangerous chemical drivers consider themselves, are they considered to be the trucking elite, “truck-daddy”

Well Jameseq, I can tell by the words “lorry” and “petrol” that I’d have to hop a boat to visit you. According to my European trucker friends on Twitter, I believe that the truckers across the pond still experience a lot of respect. At least that’s what they tell me. Over here in the States, it’s a totally different ball game. It’s like Justa Mann said in the previous comment, “The public views him, yes him, as a necessary moron sent to fetch their desires and an inconvenience to contend with on the road.” Sad, but true. As for who… Read more »

Being defined by your values beats out employment and passions every time.

Yes, trucking used to be an honored profession. It lent itself to positive identity only because the culture respected the skill and sacrifice the job demands.

Now a truck drive is just a hamster in a cage, working in a rolling sweat shop. The public views him, yes him, as a necessary moron sent to fetch their desires and an inconvenience to contend with on the road. Not much identity I would want to have in that.

That’s pretty much the way I feel, Justa Mann. Not sure I want the identity. While the public has a bad image of truckers in general, I sometimes understand why they do. As a trucker, a lot of times I respect the job more than the people who do it. Most of the drivers I’ve met out here are swell folks, I’ve also met a lot of morons who deserve their crappy reputation. Oh, for the good ol’ days… which was actually way before I started driving.

I really give people problems when it comes to the what do you do question. Once after a two week search I found the craft shop in Little Rock. I had already found the medical bookstore a week and a half earlier. It was 1979 so no online anything. No I wasn’t after stuff for school I just wanted to relax and make something. After I entered the smallish store I found the calligraphy supplies and the painting supplies and was relieved to find strechers but no canvas. As I was trying to think of a place to find cotton… Read more »

jeeez, where do i start? theres certainly a timeline that i think applies here. old school, when “trucking” was a honored trade, one you learned through good old fashioned apprenticeship! where you learned not only how to drive, but the etiquette if you will. there was a time, again where the driver had honor, a duty on the road, the original “road warrior” yes the guy who would stop and help the damsel in distress! not saying you and your evil overlord are not, btw LOVE that! then enter the schools that produced, as you said steering wheel holders? (no… Read more »

Great comment, cap’njon! While The Evil Overlord and I did learn to drive at a truck driving school, I’m not offended by that. For one thing, NO ONE is a steering wheel holder after getting a few years under their belt. I’ve got 15 years! Also, most of the trucking companies nowadays (heck, even back in 1997) require you to go to driving school. I tried to learn from an experience driver, but every carrier I called about employment told me I had to go to a certified school. Of course, it had something to do with insurance. The Evil… Read more »

This topic reminds me of the book, “Life on the Ledge”, by Ivor Hanson, who would also balk at solely being known as “The Window Washer”….he is also a punk rock drummer, writer, college grad and journalism school grad, among other things… Throughout his book, he wrestles with his identity as The Window Washer Guy, then decides to go to journalism school, but after graduation he finds he goes back to window washing because the income from freelance journalism is not always steady….great book! I loved his keen observation of people…. Interesting stuff… I guess, it’s up to you to… Read more »

Well Leia, I’m going through the same thing right now, so I know how you ex felt. I’ve been trying to get off the road for a few years now so that I can go back to college. I get pretty much the same reaction as your ex did. While all my trucking Twitter friends are supportive, they also rib me a lot because I keep saying I’m going to quit trucking and I still haven’t. One of those days though…